In the Federal Senate today, an absolute dickbag called Ian MacDonald decided to howl something incredibly offensive across the chambers.
It was, “Learn to speak Australian!”
According to Sky News, the senator he allegedly decided to bellow this to in a parliamentary setting, was national treasure Penny Wong.
Wong rose to her feet after the comment, and demanded that he withdraw what he’d said. But somehow, despite there being a Code of Conduct for senators, Senate President Stephen Parry said that all was chill, and the insult wasn’t unparliamentary.
And, that’s all we have time for, and will be giving attention to, in this episode of ‘Casual Racism Still Very Much Exists in Australia’.
Updated at 7:40am, September 17, 2015.
It has now come to light that Macdonald directed his utterly offensive comments at Scotland-born Labor Senator Doug Cameron, who has a thick Glaswegian accent. Penny Wong asked for the comment to be withdrawn, because REGARDLESS of accent, telling someone to speak Australian is a) fundamentally incorrect, and b) derogatory.
via Sky News.
Image: Mandel Ngan via Getty Images.
